Field Trip-The Prelude

[Tessa]

“Actually, I’m with you…I don’t know any of these people.” Kei told Nate as she propped herself against the wall again, “Kei.” She introduced herself, looking from AJ to John and then to the floor. Nate’s words had triggered something, she really didn’t know any of these people and was suddenly yearning for the strange relationship she had had with Marco.

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Kei slammed the door to the small three-bedroom apartment open, throwing her purse on the counter and following it with her set of keys, “Marco!” She howled, continuing into the living room and finding no sign of her roommate/boyfriend, “Rodriguez get your ass out here!” she headed down the short hallway, knowing that he had to be in here somewhere. He had a report due for work in a couple of days and would undoubtedly be doing revisions at this point in time.
“Rodriguez, if you don’t show your face your laptop will meet an untimely death at the beach, and I’ll throw your ass out of this apartment!” Kei hollered down the hall, waiting hands on hips for a reaction, her entire stance oozing anger and annoyance.
“What?!?!” Came the irritated response two doors away as Marco appeared in the doorway, his tall frame clad only in a pair of pajama pants, and from one look Kei could tell he hadn’t been doing work at all...he’d been taking a nap.

“You did something to my beater!” Kei accused, her dark eyes smoldering as she glared at him, “Don’t deny it!” She added before he could open his mouth to protest.
“I fixed the engine.” Marco said deadpanned walking out into the hall and wrapping an arm around Kei’s waist, “You asked me to last week, after your therapy session and preliminary trial.” He dropped a kiss on the top of her head, “because it broke down on your way back, you didn’t want that to happen if you ever decided to go up to Pipeline this winter.” Kei relaxed her stance, her anger melting away.
“Oh…forgot about that.” She responded reaching her hand up to muss up Marco’s shoulder length black hair, “Guess I’m just kind of strange lately, what with the impending death sentence above my head.” Kei rolled her eyes, breaking away from Marco to go to her room and change out of her dress.

“Its not a death sentence!” He called after her, “Where were you anyways?” Marco was obviously following her down the hall, where he would stand outside her door until she decided to reemerge.
“Carly and I were just partying, ya know.” Kei told him through the crack in the door, “I’m allowed to do that, I’m a grown woman of 27. I tie my own sandals and everything.” She opened the doorway now clad in a pair of plaid boxers and a tank top.
“It would’ve been nice to know that,” Marco commented dryly, though his eyes gave away that he wasn’t upset at all, “You could’ve been out abusing poor tourists by making their tacky souvenirs explode.” He teased, as she brushed past to get to the kitchen and search out something to eat.
“Once again, I’m an adult…” Kei opened the fridge and found an apple, cutting it up and placing it in a bowl, “I wouldn’t do that. Besides, I thought you would be working on that paper of yours, not napping.”
“Wasn’t napping.”
“You have bed-head.”
“No I don’t.”
“You’re a bad liar.” Kei moved over to sit on one of the stools placed near the island in the middle of the kitchen area, “You were sleeping and you know it.” Marco sat acrossed from her stealing one of her apple slices.
“Fine, I was.” He gave her a wide smile, “Carly didn’t find you another guy, did she?” He then asked suspiciously, knowing that Kei’s best friend was renowned for finding the attractive businessmen that his girlfriend would con.
“No, I’m not that stupid. I’m on trial for that stuff.” Kei’s expression darkened for moment, “You’ve known me how long? But you still can’t figure me out.”
“Just checking.”

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“ Shouldn’t have broken up with him.” She reprimanded herself, “Sure, it’s a hell of a ways away from here…but he always understood your neurotic little mind.” Kei brought her gaze back up, looking around the room.
“I’m off for a shower.” She told them, the itch she had forgotten about coming back in full force, “Be back in a few.” Kei looked at De, “And I’ll be wantin’ that towel back, later of course.”